[Four views of the myrtle plant - three show the plant flowering and one shows the plant with berries, and a view of ‘agnus castus’, the castor oil plant.]

Beautiful plate of five flowering plants. The designs are beautifully balanced on the page and the captions elegantly inscribed. Emanuel Sweert was prefect of the gardens of the Emperor Rudolf II in Prague. His Florilegium was first printed in Frankfurt by Kempner in 1612 -1614. It was originally a sales catalogue for plants and bulbs from Sweert's gardens, to be sold at fairs in Frankfurt and Amsterdam, but now these very attractive engravings are regarded as fine examples of 17th century botanical illustration and are much collected.

Fine condition, good margins.